Matchbox/ Revell Helldiver/Shrike,..part built..is this allowed-? FINISHED

[tonyot]

Hiya Folks,

              I`ve dug this one out from the box of doom,...... it is the Revell boxing of the Matchbox Helldiver,.... which I had been toying with making as an Aussie Shrike,.... but is it too far gone for this GB?

 

 

I have yet to find the rear canopy yet,....as it seems to have gone missing!

 

Cheers

         Tony

 

Edit,....I just love the Matchbox box art and here are the two versions that I remember;

Edited November 30, 2017 by tonyot

[pacificmustang]

Ooh, I hope you get the go ahead Tony, as I would like to see that 

Bruce 

[stevej60]

Finger's crossed it's allowed Tony,I love this old girl I would love to build one of the few RN example's one day.

[Rabbit Leader]

I'm with all the others on this one.

Just build it Tony, but perhaps don't display it in the GB Galley to qualify for voting - it's not as it you won't have anything to vote for!

Can't recall the last time I saw an RAAF Shrike built, so I'll be watching for sure.

 

Cheers.. Dave.  

[jean]

Dave,

 

great decision! Definitely worth a build!!!!

 

Have fun Tony!

JR

[Arniec]

Well it is bit tofar, but I will allow it. As I want to see it finished too.

 

Cheers,

[Rabbit Leader]

1 hour ago, Arniec said:

Well it is bit tofar, but I will allow it. As I want to see it finished too.

 

Cheers,

Yes!!

Three cheers for Arnold .. hip, hip - hooray.. hip, hip - horray!! 

[tonyot]

Cheers Arnold and everybody else,.......I`d better find that missing rear canopy now hadn`t I!!!

 

Thinking of going for the Olive Drab and Neutral Grey scheme with blue and white roundels.

 

And here is the one with the larger wing roundels and yellow surround to the fuselage roundel,...plus RAF style C Type fin flashes;

 

Some USAAF Shrikes,..just for reference;

Now to start searching!

Cheers again,

                  Tony

Edited November 26, 2017 by tonyot

[old thumper]

I don't think I had even ever heard of a Shrike until now. Glad it is in.

[theplasticsurgeon]

Just now, Arniec said:

Well it is bit tofar, but I will allow it. As I want to see it finished too.

 

Cheers,

Good call!  Welcome Tony.

[stevej60]

Glad you got the go ahead Tony,this should be good,I 've seen this aircraft in FAA colour's which looked great do you have any info?

[tonyot]

1 hour ago, stevej60 said:

Glad you got the go ahead Tony,this should be good,I 've seen this aircraft in FAA colour's which looked great do you have any info?

I built a model of an RN Helldiver for an article in MAM years ago,......PM me your e mail address and if I can find the text I`ll send it to you along with some photos. Here is the model,......Accurate Miniatures 1/48th kit converted;

 

Interestingly,......when they were delivered from the Canadian Car and Foundry factory the RN Helldivers had US stars and bars applied over their British colours and apparently these were very hard to remove according to ground crew!

 

Here is one at Burscough, Lancashire during working up training,..... they were intended for an attack on the Tirpitz, but HMS Furious broke down,...... the unit was by this time operating a small number of aircraft as the US Navy (Nimitz himself) had blocked further deliveries and when RAF Lanc`s sank the Tirpitz the Helldiver sqn was disbanded! 

 

All the best

               Tony

Edited November 14, 2017 by tonyot

[stevej60]

Great Tony I think it would be MAM where I saw it as I bought it from  first edition up until the begining of last year,I'll check it out,

[Cookenbacher]

Another interesting project Tony!

[tonyot]

Hiya Folks,

                 Here is a bit more progress,...first of all,....I found the rear cockpit glazing,...hooray!!

 

As there is hardly any interior detail I have added some using plastic card and spares box items;

 

 

Time to paint the interior up, mask the canopies,...do a bit more sanding and then get some paint on,

 

Cheers

          Tony

 

PS,.... I also need to add a pair of guns into each wing,.....which look like 0.5mm Brownings as opposed to the single 20mm cannon per wing on the US Navy aircraft.

Edited November 16, 2017 by tonyot

[Rabbit Leader]

Really liking the look of this one Tony and the additional facts that you include within your builds is always appreciated. 

 

AFAIK, none of the Shrikes on order for the RAAF had actually made it to Australia (perhaps one for trials - need to validate this). I believe they were rejected once the designs initial poor performance and other traits were being discovered. Either way it’s certainly an interesting beast and yet another unique addition to this GB. 

 

Edit - so glad you found the canopy. 

 

Cheers.. Dave

[Beard]

Nice work on the interior Tony. I have one of these in the stash which I'm planning on doing in FAA markings. I might get to do it in this Group Build, if my wife stops finding me things to do.

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Nice work Tony,

 

I obtained a Helldiver just for this GB and was going to build it OOB, thread and pictures to follow.

[tonyot]

Cheers folks,

                  Well after lots of sanding filling in those famous Matchbox trenches,... I`ve applied a couple of coats of Olive Drab, using Tamiya JGSDF Olive Drab, which seemed to match the colour pics of the RAAF aircraft best, rather than the lighter shades seen on the USAAF aircraft;

 

Next to add the Neutral Grey undersides,

                                                     Cheers,

                                                                Tony

Edited November 23, 2017 by tonyot

[Rabbit Leader]

This is looking quite neat and tidy without all those original deep panel lines Tony. All that hard but therapeutic work is starting to pay off handsomely. 

The upper surface colour looks the goods as well. Glad this one was allowed to progress within this GB, however now you’ve tempted me to want to add one to my collection as well! 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

[tonyot]

Cheers Dave,

                  All of this sanding is good for the muscles!

Well a small update,......the gloss varnish has dried and it is time to sort out the decals,.....I`ve got the roundels from an old Frog Vengeance sheet,....I`ll be getting the serial A69-29 from a generic serial set. This particular Shrike never left the USA and was photographed in 1943 over Ohio before being sent to the US Marines as a SB2C-IA;

 

 

Sometimes you get an almost sprayed on effect with Humbrol 35 gloss varnish when it is applied using a large brush and that is fainly evident here,....although some brush hairs etc needed to be sanded away,

 

Cheers

         Tony

 

Edit,......after dry fitting the undercarriage legs it was apparent that they were too long for an aircraft on the ground with the oleo`s compressed.....so I cheated and cut a section from the top before adding them to the model. From viewing colour photos it appears that many Helldiver`s and Shrikes had the u/c legs painted Interior Green and so I used this colour on the kit parts and also the inside of the u/c doors and the u/c bay itself, although in some b&w pics the legs do also appear to match the Neutral Grey undersides too. The undercarriage doors in the kit are wrong as Matchbox only provide them as one flat  single piece when they were in fact two separate parts, see the photo below. Many Shrike`s had the lower door section removed,....and to replicate this I may cut the bottoms away and leave them off.

 

Here is the u/c on the real aircraft showing the separate doors,.. and also the twin gun armament in the wing on the A-25, as opposed to the single 20mm cannon of the Helldiver;

 

And this pic shows how many Shrike`s and Helldiver`s omitted the lower doors;

 

 

 

I also dug some wheels with a bit more detail on them from the spares box and I may also have a go at making the exhausts more realistic by adding a pipe to the fairing behind the engine nacelle,.... if I can find something suitable,

 

Cheers,

          Tony

 

Edited November 26, 2017 by tonyot

[tonyot]

Hiya Folks,

            The model looks quite darker in the `flesh' compared to the photos here,......as I was trying to replicate this photo;

 

However having found another version of it here,...which does seem to match all of the USAAF photos that I`ve seen of the same type,..as posted earler;

 

And also this artwork;

 

I`m now in two minds whether to repaint the Olive Drab again!

 

I`ll sleep on it,....night everybody,

Cheers

        Tony

[Rabbit Leader]

@tonyot,

I see distinct evidence of Medium Green splotches around the Wing, Hori Stab and Tail fin in this photo below.  

They are not as prominent as the 'lighter' photo, however would be curious to know if you see these as well.

IMO - This would have been very prevalent around this 1943 period, however I'll admit I'm no expert here.

 

Cheers and the Shrke is looking great... Dave  

 

[tonyot]

Cheers Dave,

                  I have to admit that almost every USAAF Shrike that I have seen pics of has Medium Green blotches present so I would have expected to have seen them on this aircraft too,.... but I could not see them in the photo!Now you mention it,.... there might be something after all, or is it just wishful thinking? I`ll have a sleep on it!

 

I applied the decals today,......as well as fitting the spares box wheels and cutting down the single piece undercarriage doors; ;

   The decals were disappointing as there was a white ring around part of each roundel and also the fin flashes,.... so these had to be trimmed on the model,

 

All the best

                 Tony

Edited November 28, 2017 by tonyot

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

That is looking the biz decalled up Tony. If I find another kit I might have a crack at a Shrike.

 

This is a great reference thread for the aircraft as well.